Aintree barbecue ‘marred’ by news of death of a cow

A barbecue held at a home in Aintree yesterday was tinged with sadness, as the joy of tucking in to chargrilled quarter pounders was marred by the news that a cow had tragically died in the run-up to the event.

‘We had a few friends round to enjoy a bit of sunshine and watch the Grand National and the football,’ explained homeowner Claire Carson, who hosted the barbecue with her husband Gareth. ‘We do it every year. But frankly, the future of the event is in real doubt now that it has emerged that an animal might have died for our entertainment. We are considering an independent inquiry.’

A spokesman for Claire, Gareth, said that most of the guests had understood that they were taking a ‘controlled risk’ by consuming skewered lamb kebabs that had been cooked without the onion and peppers being completely carbonised. ‘We recognise the safety implications of our traditional annual spring barbecue,’ he said. ‘Despite the sad news about the cow that I unfortunately chopped up and cooked bits of, we were all able to celebrate the fact that the cow undoubtedly enjoyed its trip through the countryside to the abbatoir, which cheered everybody up. And there was further good news later in the evening from Wembley Stadium, where an unloved donkey reportedly earned himself a last-minute reprieve from the knackers’ yard.’